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Gwinnett teen killed by hit-and-run driver
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 12/21/06 08:44 AM
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Gwinnett County police Thursday recovered a vehicle believed to have struck and killed a bicyclist Wednesday night, but were still looking for the hit-and-run driver.
Jacob Palleta of Lawrenceville and Walter Lester of Suwanee, both 17, were on the bike when it was hit about 9:15 p.m. on Buford Drive near Lawrenceville, Gwinnett police Cpl. Darren Moloney said.
Palleta died at the scene, and Lester was taken to Gwinnett Medical Center with injuries that Moloney said were not believed to be life-threatening.
“At first, investigators received information from a witness who observed a silver SUV fleeing the area at a high rate of speed,” Moloney said.
He said investigators later determined that a green 1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse had actually struck the teens. The Mitsubishi was later found on Le Mesa Drive, a dead-end road inside a subdivision near where the bike was hit.
Moloney said the Eclipse had damage consistent with the fatal hit-and-run. The driver of the car had not been located, Moloney said.
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